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Is Yahoo Actively Supporting Adware?
Posted by
CmdrTaco
on Tue Sep 20, 2005 08:07 AM
from the things-we-hate dept.
from the things-we-hate dept.
conq writes "According to BusinessWeek, a report said Yahoo was actively supporting the companies that spawn pop-up ads. In early September, Yahoo engineer Jeremy D. Zawodny sounded off on his blog: "Do I like those [software installation] practices? Hell no. It's insulting and disrespectful.""
update the story submission takes Jeremy out of context which he
blogs about and says mean things about us.
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Yahoo has been like this for some time (Score:5, Insightful)
More evil? (Score:5, Informative)
Yahoo is doing other evil stuff as well: [com.com]
Evil is yahoo becoming?
Parent
Re:More evil? (Score:4, Interesting)
Parent
Re:More evil? (Score:3, Interesting)
In other news Jeremy D. Zawodny fired (Score:3, Insightful)
Jeremys post in question.. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Jeremys post in question.. (Score:3, Insightful)
The real problem is even if the Yahoo execs aren't "evil", they have no good way out. If publicly-held company A is making money by taking over users' computers, company B's shareholders will want to know why company B isn't doing the same thing. And if company B's execs say they don't want to do it on something as flimsy as moral grounds, then company B's
It's True! (Score:4, Funny)
What the?!?!?
meanwhile... (Score:3, Funny)
Trust Yahoo? (Score:5, Insightful)
What Rosenzweig fails to mention is that Yahoo, like most companies, will take advantage of that trust to the furthest extent they can get away with.
Trust us because we say our foundation is trust? I don't think so.
How about "Trust us because we take steps to prevent adware, not support it."
Or, "Trust us because we will never piggyback software and settings changes onto downloads from us that you choose to install."
Or, "Trust us because it's not in our financial interest to do bad things to you."
Unfortunately, none of these three possibilities are true... and until they are, I will not trust Yahoo farther than I can throw them.
"Don't be evil" and other corporate nonsense (Score:4, Interesting)
"Don't be evil" ring a bell? Everyone pretty much "believed" the head honcos at google when they declared that was the company's motto.
Dow's motto is "We Bring Good Things to Life", except they purchased Union Carbide after Union Carbide killed tens of thousands of Indian people when a chemical plant in Bhopal released methyl isocyanate. [google.com]
Last time I mentioned Bhopal [wikipedia.org] and Dow, someone said "hey, that was Union Carbide, not Dow! Dow just bought them!" Well- Dow management and shareholders didn't seem to have much trouble sleeping at night after buying Union Carbide for a song (Union Carbide after the disaster became next to worthless as a brand.) Dow pretty much turned into a industrial-disaster profiteer.
Parent
Re:Trust Yahoo? (Score:4, Interesting)
That said, I don't trust Google either... I just distrust them less.
And it's not about choice here -- it's about informed choice. As we learn more about the business practices of Yahoo, Google, et al, then we gain the ability to make informed choices. But until every company comes clean about the things that like Yahho has been getting bad publicity about, we don't have real choice.
"Go wank google some more if you don't like it.
Go wank yourself before you make assumptions about what companies I do or do not like.
Bad Troll.
Parent
Here is the real issue...LEGALLY, what is Spyware? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Here is the real issue...LEGALLY, what is Spywa (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re:Here is the real issue...LEGALLY, what is Spywa (Score:3, Interesting)
However, just because it's illegal, doesn't stop people doing it. Lots of people transport beneficial plant products across imaginary lines; this is against the law in many countries, but enough of them are getting away with it for it to be worthwhile.
Windows fanboys bitch about it being "complicated" or "awkward"
Can I trust Yahoo? I think not. (Score:5, Interesting)
Over the years, I have learned to have zero (0) trust in Yahoo.
From the Business Week article:
"Sure, no one issue will turn off Yahoo users in droves." One issue will definitely convince a large percentage of people never to visit Yahoo.
Another quote:
"... Yahoo risks tarnishing its reputation as a trustworthy Net player." Notice that doing an internet search is called "Googling". For knowledgeable people, Yahoo has a bad reputation. For others, Yahoo has no reputation at all.
Business writers write a lot of DISGUSTING nonsense about computer technology:
"To Yahoo's credit, it is leading industrywide discussions aimed at devising new practices for the adware companies." Here's another quote: "Yahoo also insists it does business only with adware companies that adhere to best practices..."
It seems to me that Yahoo cannot compete, so it is trying every trick to stay alive.
Not real news: AOL and Yahoo and MSN will merge. The combined company will be called CyberHell.
Yahoo's Reputation (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Yahoo's Reputation (Score:4, Insightful)
If the US government had asked them to turn over email for accounts that originated in the US and were maintained on US servers, and the courts agreed with this decision -- they'd turn it over too...just the same way you'd roll if the gov't and the court system told you to do something.
What? You think that just because they are a US company that they don't need to follow the laws in countries they do business?
Again, I don't agree with it either...but so long as they maintain a physical business presence there, they need to follow the law like anyone else.
Parent
you're a fucking hypocrite (Score:4, Insightful)
I really, really doubt the police in China told Yahoo what the investigation was about; you know, police are like that. They just demand information, and the law compels you to obey.
Perhaps we should have a trade embargo against China? That is, logically, the only way to go following your logic. If you operate in China, you have to follow the law. If you don't follow the law, you can't operate in China. The law, in your opinion(and mine too, certainly), violates the peoples' civil rights.
So, how about we stop all trade with China. Seems to be working just wonderfully for the people in Cuba...
Look, Yahoo isn't personally accountable for the actions of the Chinese government. The authorities demanded information and Yahoo obeyed the law. Did they even know what the investigation was about? It's not like the executives at Yahoo said, "No let's see. Who's civil rights can we violate today?" Give us a fucking break.
This is a political matter that deserves attention. When we have some politicians that aren't mouth breathing shit eaters, maybe it can be properly addressed. And perhaps when we damand the same of ourselves that we demand of others, we won't look like fucking hypocrites.
Parent
Actvely? (Score:5, Funny)
I'm joking!
How Yahoo Funds Spyware (Score:5, Informative)
How Yahoo Funds Spyware [benedelman.org]
I post screenshots and packet logs showing how Yahoo ads get syndicated into notorious spyware -- Direct Revenue, eXact Advertising, 180solutions, and some smaller players too (SideFind, Slotchbar, etc.).
Meanwhile, Yahoo stamps their crap on Flickr (Score:4, Interesting)
Just wait till the rest of Flickr gets the Yahoo treatment.
http://37signals.com/svn/archives2/flickr_signup_
Yahoo Owns Spyware Companies (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:What popups (Score:5, Insightful)
There's no good reason to put up with those popups.
Parent
Re:Don't see a reason? (Score:3, Insightful)
To be fair, that textile industry had no textile workers. The fabric was 'spun' by marketers.